West Texas Boys Ranch is a Christian-based home community that welcomes boys who are in need of a safe environment in which to grow and learn.

West Texas Boys Ranch is licensed by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to provide residential basic child care for up to 32 boys ages 6-17. The Ranch is licensed to provide program services for (a) child care and (b) transitional living. West Texas Boys Ranch is a qualified non profit IRC Section 501 (c) (3). West Texas Boys Ranch is a public charity.

West Texas Boys Ranch was started in 1947 by a group of businessmen in San Angelo. 965 acres were purchased along Spring Creek near Tankersley, about 12 miles west of San Angelo. The first living quarters for the boys were remodeled U.S. military barracks from nearby Mathis Field. In the early 1980s the first of five homes was constructed as the model of child care evolved to a family-based environment. Today in each house, two married couples serve as cottage parents to care for up to eight boys. In its 60 plus year, West Texas Boys Ranch has become a home to thousands of young men from 130 counties across the state of Texas and five states.West Texas Boys Ranch is privately funded by individuals, corporations, organizations, businesses and foundations.

The Ranch operates under the guidance and oversight of the Board of Directors.

West Texas Boys Ranch Foundation:

The foundation oversees and solicits money to endow the Ranch. Gifts in the form of cash, wills, trusts, annuities and other financial planning instruments may be made to the Foundation. The West Texas Boys Ranch Foundation is a qualified non profit IRC Section 501 (c) (3). Contributions are deductible within the extent of the law.

Throughout the history of West Texas Boys Ranch, the boys have been educated in Texas' public schools. The boys attend Irion County ISD in Mertzon.

The Doss learning center, which includes classrooms, a library, a computer room and other facilities, was constructed in 1988 by the The M. S. Doss Foundation, Meadows Foundation and Abell-Hanger Foundation. This facility is used for tutoring. Many boys will receive their high school diplomas while on the Ranch and attend a college or university. Other boys will leave the Ranch to join the Armed Forces or the work force. Many of our alumni are now productive citizens and have families of their own.

In addition to ranching and farming, the boys at the Ranch are involved in 4-H, FFA and other community programs. Each boy shares in his family's chores, meals, and activities in his home. The boys hunt, fish, camp, ride horses, care for animals and other chores around the Ranch. The boys take educational trips, learn the value of work, as well as other skills that will help them in their adult life. Other facilities at the Ranch include a gymnasium, ropes challenge course, swimming pool, tennis courts and driving range.

Currently most boys at the Ranch have been privately placed. A small percentage are placed by the Court system. WTBR encourages a minimum stay of one year. A service plan is designed to address specific need of each boy. Our goal is reunite each boy with his family if and when possible. WTBR welcomes referrals from school counselors, ministers, law enforcement officers, parents, grandparents and others.

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Who We Serve

West Texas Boys Ranch is home to our young men - a trusted friend to families that need help raising their sons - and a valuable resource to the communities we serve.

How You Can Help

Support a 67-year tradition of care by making a contribution online, today. Your contributions provide a home community for our boys in a setting that is uniquely - West Texas.

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Learn More

As a Christian "home community," West Texas Boys Ranch serves as a trusted friend to parents who desperately need help in raising their sons, a safe home for boys to grow and learn, and a valuable resource in building better communities.

Boys ages 6 - 17 come from all parts of the United States to live on a real West Texas ranch that provides a safe and caring environment in which to live. West Texas Boys Ranch has served six generations of young men - the oldest of whom are now grandfathers!

As we fulfill our mission of "Raising Boys - Building Men" we are teaching young boys that being "successful" in life begins at home.

Please take the time to read about the lives changed at West Texas Boys Ranch by clicking on:

If after reading the information on our website you feel that West Texas Boys Ranch may be a place for your child, please contact the West Texas Boys Ranch admissions department and talk with our staff to determine if the Ranch could be helpful. You may call or email the admissions department. If you choose to email them, please be certain to include a phone number where you may be reached and the best time of day to contact you. They will ask you a few brief questions to determine if West Texas Boys Ranch is your best option in obtaining help for your son.

Children are welcomed to West Texas Boys Ranch regardless of the family's ability to pay for services. West Texas Boys Ranch is supported through the private contributions of caring people who give so that families may find the help they need.

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West Texas Boys Ranch accepts boys ages 6 to 17. Most of our boys are placed by their parents, family members, or other caregivers. We are licensed to accept boys with basic to moderate level of difficulties. Our program is designed to meet the needs of boys whose families are unable to do so but whose behavior or emotional problems are not serious enough to require admission to a treatment facility, psychiatric hospital or boot camp. Boys accepted into care should demonstrate the potential to adjust to an open group setting with minimal security and the ability to develop meaningful relationships with peers and adults. They must be able to attend public school. They may have demonstrated some antisocial behavior, but are capable of being responsible for their behavior.

West Texas Boys Ranch is an open campus in a working ranch environment and for safety reasons, we are not able to take boys who:

• may runaway

• have a history of fire setting or animal cruelty

• have serious substance abuse issues

• are sexual perpetrators

• have significant health issues which limits the ability to live and work in a Ranch setting

• have a chronic history of self-harm or suicidal ideation, gestures or attempts

• have psychotic disorders

• are significantly developmentally delayed

• need emergency placement

West Texas Boys Ranch offers a variety of programs which offer opportunities for learning basic living and social skills to allow the boys to develop into responsible adults. These opportunities include:

• housekeeping and chores • clothing and laundry

• food planning and preparation • money management

• personal hygiene • manners and social skills

• vocational opportunities • career planning

• recreational activities on Ranch and in the community

• transitional living skills for the older adolescent

All boys participate in the Educational Program which provides them structure, consistency, individual support, and accountability. West Texas Boys Ranch boys attend Irion County schools, a small, rural, 1-A school district where each boy’s individual educational needs are met, with ample opportunities for extra-curricular participation. They are supported by the on-campus Learning Center with tutoring four days per week.

The boys are offered opportunities to participate in the Farm and Ranch Programs to include the Horse Program, the 4-H Program, and the Work Bell Program. During Work Bell, boys are compensated for their work and are exposed to a variety of vocational activities and skills building to include:

• carpentry • painting, plumbing • electrical work • fencing

• welding • auto maintenance • janitorial services

• lawn maintenance • care of livestock and feeding

• various other jobs associated with Ranch work

All boys participate in a Behavior Management Program which uses a Level System, a tool used to help the boys reach and maintain acceptable levels of behavior, internalize positive values, and identify areas of strength as well as areas which need improvement.

All boys are assessed at the time of admission to determine their needs for Behavioral Health Services. While West Texas Boys Ranch is not a treatment center, we do offer individual therapy for those boys who are in need, as well as Educational Groups that address mental health, substance abuse, physical and nutritional health, and other related issues.

All boys participate in the Christian Education Program. True to our mission “to provide a Christian family environment” for our boys, West Texas Boys Ranch is committed to ensuring that the boys entrusted to our care have every opportunity to be nurtured in a Christian environment. Our staff serve as Christian role models and equip the boys with Christian values. Not only do they attend church weekly with the Cottage Parents, they attend Sunday evening Chapel on-Ranch, and often participate in Youth Group activities at their church.

If you have, or know of someone who has a boy who may be in need of our services, please call 325-949-1936 and ask for the Admissions Department. You may also send an email to wtbradmissions@wtbr.org with your inquiry, leaving a good phone number where you may be reached.

• You will be contacted by personnel in the Admissions Department who will conduct a phone screening interview, taking basic information to determine if there are any immediate issues that would disqualify him.

• If the child appears to qualify, you will be sent an Application Packet to complete. Once we receive the completed application with all required attached documentation, the Admissions Committee will review all materials and determine if the process will continue. If he does not meet criteria, we will make appropriate referrals.

• If he is a potential candidate, you will be contacted and a Pre-Placement Tour and Interview will be scheduled. At that time the parent/s and child will travel to the Ranch, take a tour, meet staff, and participate in a group interview with key staff members which focuses on the child. Within three days of the interview, you will be contacted by the Admissions Director to inform you if your child has been accepted for admission.

The Admission is usually scheduled within a week of the Pre-Placement Interview.

Once a completed application has been returned, it typically takes 2-6 weeks to process it. The time frame is dependent upon many factors including the amount of information provided, the number of openings available, and the number of other applications under consideration.

We ask for a one-year commitment to the program. The boys are allowed to stay until they graduate high school, provided that they are following the rules.

During their Orientation Period (the first 30 days) he is not allowed to have visits, however he is allowed to contact his family by telephone. After their Orientation is completed, he will be allowed to go home for one weekend per month and the family can visit him on ranch once a month. Boys are also allowed to go home for all major holidays, for an extended visit at the beginning of summer, and an extended visit at the end of summer.

We are funded through private donations; therefore, no child is turned away due to a family's inability to pay. However we ask that families who are able to make a financial contribution each month do so each month. Parents/guardians receiving any kind of financial support for the child will be asked to forward that support to West Texas Boys Ranch.